Got £25,000 to spend on a car? Don't just succumb to a brand-new model, go for a used car and make the most of your money

A budget of £25,000 will get you a decent enough new car that's well equipped and comfortable. However, if you turn to the used market it will also get you some of the most upmarket and luxurious cars you can buy.

Yes, they may be used, but none of the cars on this list will be much more than two years old and none of them will have covered excessive mileage - you really can get a huge amount of car for your money.

Buyacar has got a huge selection of used cars ready for your attention and there are currently 7949 between £20,000 and £25,000 alone. We're sure your perfect car is right around the corner.

Read on for our list of the best used cars available for under £25,000

1. Skoda Superb Estate

The Skoda Superb estate is simply the best value estate money can buy. It’s bigger than the mighty Mercedes E-Class estate, and its quality and driving experience aren't a million miles behind, yet it's almost half the price.

Easily its greatest attraction is its 1,950-litre seats-down, load space. Even with the seats up it has 660 litres, enough for a month’s shopping, never mind a week’s.

What’s more, the boot doesn't come at the expense of interior space. There’s plenty of room for a couple of six-footers to make themselves comfortable in the back seats. The style of the interior is best described as restrained, but it’s all quality feeling.

2. Jaguar XE

Inevitably, the default choice in the field of sports saloons is the BMW 3 Series. That’s a shame because the Jaguar XE is the most rounded executive saloon in a field of strong rivals.

Like the BMW 3 Series, it’s available with rear or four-wheel-drive. The diesel engines are punchy and economical but the petrols, being that bit lighter, make the car feel less nose heavy and more agile. Both are available with Jaguar’s excellent eight-speed automatic gearbox.

From the outside, R Sport trim really suits the XE, while every version enjoys a classy, uncluttered interior that’s only let down in places by some low-rent plastics. Upfront there’s plenty of room, but six footers will find the rear interior slightly cramped.

3. Peugeot 3008

The 3008 marks a high point in Peugeot’s fortunes. It’s a five-seat SUV that has since spawned an equally impressive but larger, seven-seat version called the 5008.

Its strengths are great looks, a choice of economical and powerful engines, and a comfortable ride. More than anything, though, it has that indefinable thing – star quality.

The interior looks as if it’s been lifted out of a concept car and features a dynamic instrument display similar to the one found in the Audi TT. The only thing you’ll need to get used to is the small steering wheel that you look over, rather than through, to see the instruments.

4. VW Golf GTI

Family car, practical car, luxury car and sports car in one: it’s hard to think of a more rounded car than a Golf GTI. Over four decades it’s been honed to become the Mk7 version we enjoy today.

It’s lower than the standard Golf and its 2.0-litre petrol engine is much more powerful. It’s also extremely well equipped, highlights including 18in alloys, LED headlights, parking sensors and a sat nav.

Like all Golfs, the interior is a model of restrained sophistication. There’s plenty of room in the front and back, and those rear seats also split and fold to make more of what is a fairly modest boot.

5. Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer

People carriers have been overtaken in the public’s affections by SUVs but if you have a large and active family, little can beat them. One of the best is the Citroen Grand C4 Space Tourer.

It’s a genuine seven-seater, which is a good start, but it’s also a very modern vehicle with a light and airy interior, space-age looks and a comfortable ride not easily unsettled by the UK’s broken roads.

Having the capacity to carry seven people means you’d be better off with one of the more powerful diesel engines. That said, the small 1.2 petrol is fine around town and short journeys.

6. Mazda MX-5

We may not enjoy year-round sun in the UK, but that doesn't stop us Brits buying a lot of convertibles. Among the most popular is the Mazda MX-5. Now on its fourth generation, it’s smaller and lighter than before but better equipped and more powerful.

There’s a choice of 1.5 and 2.0-litre petrol engines. The 1.5 is fizzing and high-revving and suits the MX-5’s character very well but the 2.0 litre is faster and makes it feel more like a sports car.

Nav Sport is the pick of the trims for its powerful Bose sound system, parking sensors and heated, leather seats that mean you really can drive with the top down, year-round – rain permitting.

7. Toyota Prius

As diesel falls from favour, a used hybrid makes more sense than ever. The Prius offers the smoothness and refinement of a petrol engine boosted by an electric motor when you need it, and the promise of shorts bursts of pure electric power in city running.

Together, they help boost fuel economy with the result that around town, up to 70mpg should be possible. Out on the open road, expect more like 50mpg – not bad for a family car with decent reserves of power.

Its interior is futuristic-looking but the quality of the plastics is a rung or two below a BMW. Entry-level Active trim is well equipped but don't ignore higher-spec Business Edition with its extra safety kit.

8. Hyundai Ioniq Electric

Buying a used car removes one of the major barriers to electric car ownership: the price. Take the Hyundai Ioniq Electric, for example; even when buying a nearly new model, this advanced electric family car is no more expensive than any rival diesel model.

Of course, a diesel car can travel much further on a tank of fuel than the Ioniq can on a full charge. Even so, the Ioniq is among a new generation of electric cars that really do impress in this respect. It’ll cover up to 117 miles on a full charge in the real world. That should be enough for most round-trip commutes or a busy weekend’s driving.

A bonus is that it looks like any normal car, while Premium trim has most of the things drivers want including air con, a sat nav and heated front seats. If you’re not ready to go electric, the Ioniq also comes in hybrid, and plug-in hybrid flavours.

9. Mercedes-Benz E-Class

The Mercedes E-Class is a properly upmarket saloon, and at this price it's pretty hard to ignore. It’s festooned in leather, and up front it has a full arsenal of technology, including a system that will change lanes on the motorway for you.

There’s an options list as long as Peter Crouch’s legs, but even from standard you’ll get 64-colour mood lighting, self-parking functionality, and a sat-nav.

Go for the E220d diesel. It’s smooth and quiet even when accelerating, and you should regularly see more than 55mpg on the digital readout. Find a car with the Premium package and you'll get keyless entry too.

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